BLACKOUT
by Zencolour
Summary: Transcripts have been uncovered detailing the early X01 rehabilitation scheme, now a renowned case study of pre-regulatory issues regarding bioengineering. However, behind all of this is the story of a little Umbreon far away from the suffering in his past - but what of the future? Convoluted two-shot on what your descendants may find on old floppy disks. Experimental.
1. SIDE A

…INSERT FLOPPY DISK HERE...

zzZZZzz

* * *

BLACKOUT

* * *

[PART 1]

* * *

TABLE OUTLINING ACCESSED 'FLOPPY DISKS'

[No apparent chronology apart from that constructed from timestamps]

:::Floppy 01::: - [1974] Data transcriptions from earlier documents? Diaries?

:::Floppy 02::: - [1976] Seems to have what seems like family photos? Full capacity (peggies)

:::Floppy 11::: - [1976] Corrupt as hell

:::Floppy 17::: - [1976] Corrupt but what appears to be more peggies

:::Floppy 09::: - [1981] Needs work (more docs?)

:::Floppy 07::: - [1986] JSDU Archives? Files prior to Jo/kan PKM-War?

:::Floppy 04::: - [1992] Kanto UPI (labelled)

:::Floppy 15::: - [20?] 3.5" BROKEN :P

:::Floppy 16::: - [2005] 3.5"(JSDU files?)

Excerpts are dated as early as '64 though it appears that these are digitised versions of older files. Floppies are thought to have started pre-1974 and production stopped in 2009 (Sony 3.5"). 'Modern' files have been received through the EL AI, as well as the XX024B batch of recovered SD's (dated 10/2181) and numerous unrecorded USB's and minifigs. These included the currently most popular pre-50's hit 'Happy Together' by the 'Turtles' - the longest trending single release ever.

* * *

:::Floppy 7:::

 **JOHTO SPECIAL DETECTIVE UNIT**

 **EP-01000034X**

 **Record of data acquired during the investigation**

[ _Some of the transcript requires higher access and have been irreversibly blanked_ ]

Date accessed: 17/06/84

User ID: jh5

Clearance: Upper Third

Following on from…[mostly blanked]...the site has since been closed and precautions taken to ensure minimal contact before deconstruction on…[mostly blanked]...however. Work will begin…[mostly blanked].

Of the…[mostly blanked]...four were recovered. These have now been distributed amongst foster carers to assess their development. Funding has been…[mostly blanked]...including significant deformities. These have been assessed in review of….[mostly blanked]...regular updates outlining the progression in respect to typical growth curves...

[The rest of the document is unreadable]

* * *

:::Floppy 4:::

 _The following is a reconstruction of the events from information now available following new data released from the Johto SDU case EP-06401134X - now a world-renowned case study for the early involvement of civilian personnel and heroic-era generation* thinking in pre-bioweaponry regulatory scams. Narrative is derived from written journals** logged from those involved in the early X01 rehabilitation scheme. Please note, artistic license has been applied for the creation of a coherent citation. All rights go to their respective owners***._

* * *

:::Floppy 01:::

* * *

 **Excerpt 1.12**

* * *

It was a quiet evening as the sunlight started to fade, orange hues lighting up the panels in the front of the car. The driver, a young woman with light freckles, was steering down the expansive main-roads patiently. In the adjoining passenger seat, her companion had his elbow lent against the narrow window frame. He looked about thirty and had much shorter, glossy brown hair which was on the edge of being a combover. Both sat in silence, the women checking the mirrors now and then to check on the sleeping person in the back. Along the motorway and the car sped along with a steady thrum which had rapidly become repetitive, making all of them feel sleepy.

With the day drawing to a close, there wasn't much traffic but redlights still trailed into the distance. It was like sailing upon a sea into the sunset as the sky threw a pallet of pinks and yellows to drape the clouds. The view was majestic.

The boy in the backseats of the pickup looked about the age of fourteen, though he had the face that could have been five years younger. Thick black hair was messy and cowlicked, mostly from where he had been leaning against the window. With his feet up on the fabric seats, the boy rested with his eyes closed to the sunset through the tinted windows.

It would have been a typical scene from any family car on the motorway that night...if not for a slight difference. At a first glance, any normal onlooker wouldn't have noticed much.

Look a bit closer and it didn't take much stretch of the imagination to put two and two together. It was safe to say that the child in the back wasn't entirely human. Where small little round human ears should have been, long slender Umbreon ears peeked through his soft black hair - so soft in fact it could have been thick fur. Currently they lay back against his skull gently, with a matching Umbreon-like tail curled round to settle across the middle seat of the pickup.

A small female umbreon, young for the species, was curled up in the boy's arms. Unlike the apparently sleeping child, her large red eyes stared out of the window lazily.

The trip so far had been a long one. The passengers had been travelling since midday, mostly in silence apart from the rattle of the vehicle and movement of the people inside. The radio had long been turned off after the adults realised the passenger in the back had his ears folded back and a grim expression fluttering over his face. Either the boy hated the country music that she'd been playing, or the sound of other human voices across the airwaves frightened the child.

And so they sat, with just the rumble of tires on tarmac to break the silence.

Outside and the light was slowly fading. Moment by moment day transitioned into the depths of night. To be fair, it didn't take long during the short spring evenings.

After what seemed like hours, the man turned to the driver.

'So how far to go now Jenny?'

Jenny paused, staring down the road. After a moment, she dimmed her lights for a passing car, before speaking,

'About another hour and a half, maybe two.'

'The lad in the back's quiet...eh?'

Sighing to himself, he stole a glance at the sleeping boy who by now had his arms hugged tightly around his little female pokemon companion.

'I wonder why that umbreon's so special to him? She seems a little…' he paused for thought and a silent attempt to seek out the correct world. Either this search was fruitless or he simply decided to say nothing. Instead the man turned to the driver, who now seemed more alert with the spur in conversation. Previously, she had been keeping herself away by aiming the cold aircon down onto her slim feet. That and pinching herself when she felt her eyes drooping.

She sighed, adjusting her hands on the wheel.

'What they did in that lab was terrible…' Jenny stated, '...forcing him to fight like he's just any old animal, feeding him utter rubbish...and...and then not even treating his injuries or….'

She stopped, reaching over to switch off the air blowing through the vent into the footwell.

'Those people were utter monsters Mark.'

In the passenger seat, the man just looked at her solemnly and nodded. He'd only glanced at some of the paperwork but knew the gist of what had happened. In some respect, it was better to know less about the boy...at least so he didn't make any early misconceptions and judgements on the kid. What they were doing was completely off the books at the moment, and he felt a little uncertainty about the situation as whole.

Maybe at some point in the future they'd look back on this all disapprovingly.

Turning back to the window, Mark watched as the darkness deepened and the sky became blotched with stars. The road was empty of cars except for the couple zooming past now and then. Each was lazily speeding above the designated limit, only dimming their lights at the last moment down the winding country a-road.

He spotted the moon to the left. The crescent was about a quarter full and tickled the horizon with a yellowing light.

Mark hadn't noticed that Jenny was stealing a glance at him, indicating the boy in the back.

Where before he had been content to snooze through most of the journey, the Umbreon-boy was now wide awake. His crimson eyes were staring intently at the moon in the distance. It was a cratered mass of dampered refracted light that gave the world a misty hue of silver edges. Both of the adults could see the rings over his tail and ears glow a faint gold...to the point it could be picked up in the rearview mirror. Rings also adorned his elbows, knees, and forehead. The latter was much dimmer than the others however, as if etched across his very skin.

In his arms, the female Umbreon seemed to also be longingly gazing into the starry sky above. Her rings glowing in sync with the boys as if to some unending rhythm of hue and saturation. Mark almost thought that they could have been communicating, most likely aided by a faint, low mummering and twitching ears.

Jenny looked across at Mark and for a second it appeared they were thinking the same thing.

There was a lot more to this boy then met the eye.

* * *

 **Excerpt 1.43**

* * *

'Come on mate...Come on...Up you get...'

The boy heard the voice almost before he heard it at all. It was if the noise had registered in his ears first, their long lobes rotating like small dishes to best capture the human talking. After a few moments the sound reached his brain and then again, it was a few moments before he understood what they meant. The tone was soothing and he relaxed for a moment, unwrapping his tail and his body naturally stretched the tension from his hamstrings.

He opened his eyes slowly.

Blinking in the bright morning light, it took a moment for his eyes to congeal the information into a clear signal. Rubbing at them with the back of his hands, he pawed at the itch of morning dust clinging to the bridge of his nose.

With a start he noticed the man standing in the doorway. For a second he froze, eyes taking in all data available in a mad rush of identification and early target appraisal. Such a motion was ingrained into his very being, an instinct of fight of flight which took a long moment to settle into the back of his brain.

The man was middle-aged with greying hair at the temples. However, such conclusions beyond this seemed unnecessary when compared with the warm smile spread widely across his face. Staring at the man with his eyes narrowed, the figure didn't seem to notice the expression and walked into the room anyway. Oblivious to the umbreon-like boy's discomfort, the man reached over to pull the curtains open.

There was the scraping of curtain loops against metal and in an instant the room was blindingly bright.

'Breee…' grumbled the boy, blinking the world back into focus.

A warm flush of morning air blew into the room and with it the smell of lawn grass and wildflowers. Birds were singing outside merrily and the boy's ears pricked up at their calls. Peaceful sounds washed over him as he uncurled himself from under the bedsheets.

'So you're up then?' Mark had his hands on his hips, 'How are you feeling?'

The boy just nodded, awkwardly pulling the linen off his small frame. In turn this revealed the small female umbreon who was still curled up snuggly against the fluffy fur of the boy's tail. Yawning loudly, the pokemon stretched before turning her crimson eyes up at the adult across the room.

'So you slept with the little umbreon then?' Mark walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with the boy,

'Can I?' he spoke softly, motioning to the umbreon on the boys lap.

'She's not mine' the boy's voice cracked from a combination of lack of use and an early-morning sore throat. It was slightly deeper than Mark felt it should have been, and a bit croaky but that could have been due to anything. The child sat up a little in bed and the adult wasn't sure this was a motion to move away from him.

Mark perched himself on the end of the bed slowly as the boy spoke,

'I...I just look after her...she looks after me...too….'

He stared at the man who was scratching the little female Umbreon behind the ears. The Pokemon was purring happily. However, the sideways glance she stole told a whole nother story as she attempted to reassure her young companion with a warm empathetic look.

The man stopped.

'I forgot to introduce myself, my names Mark. I...Well…'

He struggled for the words.

'Let's just say that I'll be helping to look after you for now on. You met Jenny last night didn't you? She's really nice isn't she? Well we're together and offered to look after you...now that those mean guys have gone.'

The boy's eyes widened.

'I'm...I'm not going back? But won't...they'll…'

He was stopped in his stuttering by his Pokemon companion smooshing herself into his arms. The Umbreon pressed herself into his arms for comfort and Mark was more than a little surprised to see the complexity of emotions underlying her actions. They made short eye contact as he pulled his eyes away awkwardly.

'Well...no...no you won't be. They did some very bad stuff and we want you to have...to have…'

He trailed off, not sure how much to explain to the child.

'Do you have a name?' Mark asked instead, bending down a little so as not to be looking down at the boy.

With the Umbreon cuddled up in his skinny arms, the boy seemed to contemplate the question. His one hand had subconsciously risen to his neck as if expecting to find something wrapped around it.

'Ea...I'm called Ea.'

Mark nodded,

'Well Ea...would you like some breakfast?'

The boy nodded vigorously, his furred tail wagging under the linen sheets.

* * *

 **Excerpt 1.65**

* * *

Ea sat on the bed, dripping water all over the sheets and forming a little puddle on the floor. At first he's been miffed at the fact his clothes had once more disappeared, but he was slowly getting used to how a house worked. At this point he had a few sets of the items...meaning Jenny could wash some clothes while he wore other ones. Ea didn't know why people hadn't thought to do that before. Maybe it was a new concept.

His tail felt heavy as he pulled himself to his feet and shook himself off once more, spraying water across the room. Fluffing his ears up, he ran a hand through his hair to try and remove some of the moisture.

For a moment he simply stared at the back of his hand. Ea was starting to noticed that he was filling out a little, and that now it wasn't as easy to see the veins protruding through his skin...or the ribs down his chest. Maybe that was a good sign.

He wagged his tail, feeling good at that thought.

A shower was still something that felt a little weird to the boy. So much water and soap seemed excessive the boy thought, pausing in thought between searching for some fresh clothes to put on. Mark and Jenny had given him a whole wooden box with drawers so he could put away the items...items they said actually belonged to him! Ea was uncomfortable at being responsible for so much and so ensure each time he was in the room that everything was still in place.

At the moment, Jenny knocked and poked her head around the door.

'Can I come in?' She asked sweetly.

Ea just nodded. At first he had been confused at why they asked such things. It appeared that they acted as if he owned the space he slept in...or at least was once more in charge of who was inside of it. So far everybody was allowed in...even his little Umbreon companion...which made the tradition counterintuitive.

Jenny flashed a ready smile as she pushed the door open with a foot, a bundle of towels in her hands. Laying some of them down over the back of a chair, she picked out a bright yellow one and approached the boy with the fabric spread between her hands.

'Time to dry the rest of you off! We can't have you trailing a path of water behind can we.'

Ea chuckled quietly, feeling at ease around the mothering woman who started to gently pat the boys down around the ears.

'You did wash behind your ears didn't you?'

For some reason, such a comment was supposed to be funny and Ea did his best to laugh.

Helping to dry the boy off had become a ritual for Jenny. To the woman, the umbreon-boy looked like a drowned Rattata. Very little worked to dry out his fur, to the point that she considered to stop attempting what was rapidly becoming a frivolous gesture.

But Ea seemed to enjoy the fuss and so it continued

* * *

:::Floppy 04:::

 _Johto SDU case EP-06401134X has since marked the initial point of regression for what has been labelled as 'heroic-era' thinking*. This considered instead immediate recovery of situations and fixing of issues without true reconciliation of future sustainability. In fact, many early schemes proved to be mass-wealth projects raising equity in a highly immoral fashion. Occuring during syn-global upheaval (climate deterioration and mass social change)**. Pokemon were the victims of the pre-bioweaponry scams, though we have them to thank for later regulations*** emplaced prior to the post-war market crash of the late nineties (see Y2K)****._

* * *

:::Floppy 15:::

 **Kanto UPI**

 **_(EP-01)**

 **Recorded verification files (changeover 010031) (subset Aa 4)**

[Transcript of Report dated 21/09/2011] _(Unpublished)_

 _The Johto Special Detective Unit (JSPU) was disbanded along with the localised government following the Great War* and have since been centralised underneath the Kanto UPI. Records from the JSPU were reclassified in '76 although key documents pertaining to the 'Struggles' which are still ongoing e.g. Olivine City** (See Greggs et al., 1981). The EP-01 files were reviewed a year later under the Government Paritions act for the Protection of Biosecurity Interests (GPPBI). Sadly many of the files were lost in regard to the initial translational databases used for file storage. These were placed in archaic storage devices (including tape reels) which are either lost or degraded to mush._

 _It is largely due to early bioengineering attempts (including EP and later projects) that attempted advancement via use of splicing techniques has become what it is today - a banned methodology that has never been reattempted nor rediscovered. The mysterious death of Dr H. Tanaka only four months ago*** proves that this information is still under active suppression. Given what occurred during and after case EP-06401134X****, perhaps this is for good reason. Their present master's student (Carlo Zabinski Sr.) has released a statement promising further clarification of the study._

* * *

EJECTING

zzzZZZzzz

* * *

 **Session:** Session 43

 **Date:** 31/03/2181

 **Time:** 10:32 (GMsidereal)

 **Context:** Interpretations of samples 01/02/04/07/15

 **Risk Assessment:** See previous :P

[Interpretations]

I was tasked with this project as part of initial training before a PhD in 2087. Since then I've got the project studying tech from the Heroic Era, and here I am already over a year in! At first I was simply interested in accessing a box full of old floppies that were recently recovered (Soho, 2076). Beats working on SD's which even a five-year-old could access with a screwdriver. But even though it was great fun to crack into the old tech - the material on them proved more engaging than I could have ever imagined. And I'm not talking about old copies of 'Hall and Oats' or the 'Buggles'.

So here I am constructing a history of Heroic era to at least provide some context to my line of study. This history might not be exactly classical in its approach. I'm a hacker by nature and a fan of retro tech - something which makes me a perfect candidate for trying to piece together a society locked away in ancient hard drives. That and Dr Zabinski was a colleague *cough* of my late-father and felt sorry for a _spectre_ like me. Zabinski says I'm a new-generation programmer. To be honest, I don't know how that works when I'm running worms through old floppies. Nobody would fund such a pointless project so I'm pretty sure we're running on dirty H'era money that Zabinski inherited. Better not probe into that too much further.

So where do I start? The Earth used to be a nice place, but now it's a bio-protected zone with a max population of about forty thousands humans. Taking into account aboriginal and native populations covered under the Horizon Peace Act, that limits the number of visitors to about seven thousand a year. Great for the Earth I guess, but it makes surface-time a luxury for vacuum-cruisers with the cash to spare. In turn, that means I can't just pop down and recover some old hardware for myself to study - not that they'd let a _spectre_ like me do anything of the sort.

You see, Humans were idiots and triggered climate change before they knew what they were doing. Runaway consumerism backed by lignite deposits (since exhausted) and the plastic-gen acted to muck up the climatic system, increasing seasonality and storminess. Doesn't sound like much until you consider the two-point-five degree warming and the failure of the North-Atlantic drift shifting rain shadows across the most densely populated region on the globe. Combine that with over population and you get a recipe for disaster. Morbid stuff I know, but at this point it's just numbers. One deaths a tragedy, but the loss of a few billion is a statistic. You know how it is. About half of the earth or something? Grisly, I bet geography teachers love that stuff.

Yeah I know I sound like a nerd but it's history. Especially for a _spectre_ like me _._ Originally I was just into remixes from the early nineties and some classic eighties rock running through flash drives (a real old type of coding before blockchain became a thing alongside delocalised storage). Anyways, turns out being able to hack into such ancient machines isn't as common as you'd expect. It's unusual enough that I found myself graduating with a degree from the prestigious Luna-2 studygroup and the first to do it with a tail stuck out of their butt. Not a mean feat. But like any _spectre_ should, I just keep my head down and my mouth zipped. Something easier said than done when you have weird SFAL groups trying to champion you in the modern age of slavery.

The Heroic Generation followed the Gen-Z's and are famed for their rather stupid use of technology to fix the earth. Many of their failsafe methodologies were actually business projects used to fund equity divides and undercover research into colonising LEO and maybe the moon. Whilst billions were being poured in carbon capture and storage (not to mention geoengineering projects to stabilise the Greenland ice sheet) profits were being siphoned into some unsavoury projects. A few key players became CEOs of the largest corporations in the world, ripped off the globe, and in the end created an AI that runs the world climate system - an AI too clever in its own right to be switched off. Personally I love EarthLight and think of computer as a living legend - but it forced Heroic Era thinking onto the planet in a way that can never be removed again. Thanks Dr. Sobeck.

Really, I think it's Earthlight that really pissed the human's off. Now we're stuck with our old mistakes with nothing to do but wait out Project Dawn. Might take a few centuries but more likely a few millennia to sort out our good ol' blue marble.

After a huge crash in human population and all that misery (thankfully before I was born) people were forced to find refuge elsewhere. However, we'd known for decades that the human body didn't cope very well in space for extended periods of time. The solution? Just engineer better humans! And the quickest way of doing this was splicing the human genome with chosen bits from Pokemon DNA and the likes. Design humans capable of surviving in microgravity, with improved metabolisms, and whatever hair colour you can imagine (that was actually a thing). Whilst your at it why not engineer a whole new inferior race to do your dirty work for you? Ghosts to live in the underworld of the neo-UN to keep things running smoothly.

Bioengineering was first proved in the late sixties with a series of subjects (see the X01 scheme) most likely in a way that was utterly groundbreaking. Sadly, there was only one survivor, an Umbreon Morph who proved that such a feat was possible. It's thanks to him paving the way that morphs like me are floating round at not even point-five g on an orbital ring.

Or at least, that's what I'd been taught.

If these box of floppies are anything to go by (as well as some hilariously retro peggy images) then all of that was absolute bollocks. The Johto (an old region later incorporated into Kanto) detective unit had extensive records about the discovery of the project, its eventual shutdown, and the rehoming of the single test subject - only because the others were (quote) 'terminated'. The Umbreon (which appeared to be called Ea) was actually saved and homed by a socialist regime which had gained footing following the Kanto/Johto war.

This group was later deconstructed by Kanto police, the Umbreon recovered and subjected to intense 'study' which (by the looks of things so far) resulted in his death. This all occurred in the years 1985-1990 but was well documented and used as a case study in the role of ethics in a rising bioengineering industry. The case possibly resulted in a complete ban in the use of genome splicing - something of which there is no record of in the Luna-2 University files for Law or History. I triple-checked that myself.

If these floppies are to be believed, then case X01 was actually one of the first and last bioengineering projects in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Prior to the Heroic Gen at least, it appeared there were tight regulations on the use of any direct gene editing in anything more sentient than a Cutiefly. Obviously the floppies only just reach into the start of the Heroic Gen (afterwhich more sophisticated hardware was used) - but I've got like thirty more-

[Sudden Disconnection]

* * *

 **Session:** Session 43 [eddited]

 **Date:** 09/04/2181

 **Time:** 23:12 (GMsidereal)

 **Context:** What the hell?

 **Risk Assessment:** It's only illegal if you get caught...

[Interpretations]

I got called into the main L-2 office this morning with Dr Zabinski. Turns out that they got wind of what I was doing and some of the context to what I found. They had me wipe nearly everything, took the floppies, and now have me working on SDs until (quote) 'I've learnt my place'. Frankly, I know that lesson already. I won't fill you in on the full conversation but it went something like this:

 _Prof: You've found stuff that indicates that spectres should never have been made and might have human rights. You also have proof that they were more liberal in the past and had considerably better ethics in contradiction to how humans have since branded the heroic generation etc._

 _Me: No comment_

 _Prof: You do realise that you are nothing. Nill. And frankly I think you're a stuck-up misfit who is only here because we feel sorry for you_

 _Me: No comment_

 _Prof: I will take all of these floppies off you, destroy them, and ensure that arrogant spectres like you never learn your history. Let's keep this Orwellian illusion going. Frankly we're stuck with you by contract for another year so have some shit to do so we can wait it out in comfortable silence. Look through some SD cards or something._

 _Me: You're a dipshit set on wasting my talents_

 _Prof: True. Anything like this again and I can get you erased. You are nothing._

 _Me: F*ck you. Find somebody else to go through finding vintage porno peggies and shitty 80's synth pop._

 _[Please note: I didn't actually say this but I sure as hell thought this. It actually went as follows]_

 _Me: Yes sir_

 _Prof: But you're right. You've got talent and so we'll put away *cough* destroy *cough* those floppies you've been working and and get you some new ones - where you will be heavily supervised. You're a hacker not a historian._

 _Me: Yes sir_

 _Prof: We're also putting you in a lab right at the back of the facility to minimum people come into contact with you. We don't want to give this place a bad image._

 _Zabinski (talking for the first time in like half an hour): The hell? Surely there's a better way to do this then moving my whole lab?_

 _Prof: No_

 _Zabinski: I'll resign and take my funding with me._

 _Prof: Full apologies. Compromise! The spectre can have restraint to ensure he's tracked at all times and can't get into any trouble. Not to mention the tax break if we put him on the books as being owned by the Uni. We love how people are entitled to basic human rights these days!_

 _Zabinski: You said it bro. Let's go get coffee (codeword for wasted) and forget about this mess_

 _Prof: Boi let's do it._

 _Me: ?_

So yeah. At least I know that Dr Zabinski has my back. To be frank 80's synth pop is not the only stuff I come across. In a modern world of full censorship getting *cough* material *cough* is a lot more hassle than it should be. Nor is it all bad news! The device I rigged to read the floppies backs up the data continuously onto my own personal hardware storage (you can't trust the cloud) to ensure if anything goes wrong it's not a complete loss. They may take the floppies but I still have everything that was on them! They will never take our freedom! I'm a little sad about the other floppies but better that then get terminated.

The downside is I now have a stupid stub round my ankle and they even went as far to give me an ear tag! So now I'm literally walking property (I checked the serial code and it's attached to the L-2 physics and coding department) but at least I still have my work. I've been up all night writing an encryption to ensure that I can hook up this journal to my dorm server without others reading it. Took a leaf out of my ancestors books and used binary - nobody will be expecting that.

So as you can guess, I'm beyond tired and need a nap.

Last thing to note is that Liliane SFAL ( _spectre_ freedom something or other) has been in contact again. With what's happened I'm starting to think more seriously about her proposal.

* * *

 **Session:** Session 96 [eddited]

 **Date:** 14/07/2181

 **Time:** 01:53 (GMsidereal)

 **Context:** Floppy data

 **Risk Assessment:** N/A

[Interpretations]

I've just come across something really interesting. Having been through yet another assessment last week, I'm still being monitored so had to rely on the data transfer from my floppy-reader to pick up the material later. I've got a data-tracking software running through my softscreen that picks up on key scripts and that'll send encrypted copies to my dorm. Works a treat but means I have to wait nearly a day for my snail-like system to decrypt and read the files again. This is the first floppy I've been allowed to work on given the couple of boxed they had imported last month. It's almost like they trust me!

Anyway, cutting to the chase. I came across the following:

 **JOHTO SPECIAL DETECTIVE UNIT**

 **EP-01000042X**

 **Record of data acquired during the investigation**

[ _Some of the transcript requires higher access and so has been blanked_ ]

Date accessed: 24/08/84

User ID: jh5

Clearance: Upper Third

 _Following complete degradation of the subject's…[mostly blanked]...one remains…[mostly blanked]...end. The site has been decominished and the laws put through by congress following…[mostly blanked]...to be enforced immediately. The program is now being quoted as the turning point in the advent of splicing technology…[mostly blanked]..._

 _Of the three that…[mostly blanked]...handlers found…[mostly blanked]...tragic. There deaths have been labeled as accidental though with…[mostly blanked]...clearly premeditated. These 'ghosts' as named by the media exhibit strong resemblance to the source pokemon…[mostly blanked]..._

 _[The rest of the document is unreadable]_

* * *

 **Session:** Session 104

 **Date:** 19/09/2181

 **Time:** 23:17 (GMsidereal)

 **Context:** Wow. Much excite.

 **Risk Assessment:** N/A

[Interpretations]

Hit the jackpot and found some early dank memes on a USB that one of the new Master's students was struggling with. There's this one with some weird dog-like thing and...yeah...I don't know how half of these are funny but they are. I guess memes today are just more UN propaganda. Such cool. Wow. Not to mention an Oasis single that went viral in four hours and now I have a small stream of advertising money going to my payfriend account. That'll keep me on rations for the next few weeks. The name file was gnarly so I guessed the title.

I've been chatting with Liliane again, softcreen not face-to-face (Ha! I haven't been allowed to leave the facility in months! Damn do I miss that fresh dome air! Supposedly they have genuine Mitsu-Wishiwashi aircon that gets rid of smells! Humans don't notice it but stuff stinks out their dorms for days on end! Inferior senses ugh!)

Back to the point. We had a conversation the other day that went something like this:

 _Liliane: Your work is interesting. We too believe in the rights of spectre. Become the figurehead of our movement and we shall rise against the humans!_

 _Me: Uh. Not really interested. I kinda like being alive and having a job and a future_

 _Liliane: Do you not care for you fellow spectre?_

 _Me: No offence. But I'm doing pretty well for myself. You never know. You might get lucky one day. Humans aren't so bad. So yeah now I'm tagged and I'm restricted to one building. I've heard mars is worse and that you have water rations. You should see some of these classic pre-membrian memes._

 _Liliane: You have black market memes?_

 _Me: Sure. But it's going to cost you._

 _Liliane: I'm interested._

That was a few days ago. Things got a little crazy for a few days and I had most likely one of the best trips of a lifetime. Sure, I'm a pretty savvy guy who can sort of understand when crazy things happen. I don't know whose idea it was, but I ended up with a ticket to the L2 annual conference 2189 with the theme of 'improving technology' which is just about as vague as you can get.

So the conversation I had this morning went a little differently

 _Liliane: Your work is pretty interesting. We too believe in the rights of spectre. You ever thought about joining us for once? Give it try?_

 _Me: Uh. Not really interested. I've been kinda busy._

 _Liliane: Do you not care for you brethren?_

 _Me: Getting a bit repetitive now...What do you think? Do you even keep up to date with the media?_

 _Me: Link;[qauntanet/article:Spectre-emplyoed-at-top-uni-met-with-applause-at-L2-con/.]_

 _Liliane:_

 _Me: Beat that! Last thing you did was lay sheets over those weird desert lines and broke them. At least I'm doing science._

 _Liliane: [Read 10:07]_

Turns out that the Luna-2 Uni (which is supposed to be the university of the people) wanted to show how inclusive they all were by showing me off (tag and all) to the academics - not to mention the media. For a _spectre_ that had been hidden away in the orbital-ring campus for his whole life, I actually got the chance to go the Moon! All my dreams had come true in the twenty hours between an offhand remark by Zabinski and touchdown on the lunar regolith. I got to be a little kid again and thoroughly enjoyed everything that 'normal' people take for granted. Things like being being able to leave buildings, use public toilets, and eat in the vicinity of others. Oh, not to mention I got to take a plasma-ship to the moon.

Like a an actual plasma-ship! I even got a little model of it to put up in my dorm.

But anyway. This conference thing was a chance for the L2 to show off how amazing they were having a _spectre_ working with them as if they had morphs like me everywhere in their ladder of academia. Jokes on them! I was at the conference and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to enjoy myself.

Well that's what I told myself. Actually being in a huge habitat with a few thousand highly intelligent people meant I fell into full _spectre_ autopilot. Zipped mouth and head down. Don't draw attention to yourself and be as polite as possible.

That all fell apart when I was approached (well me and Zabinski who was handling me - because all _spectres_ must be with a handler in public places) by some random chap. However, it quickly became apparent that this was no ordinary bloke when I noticed the beads of sweat on Zabinskis palms as they shook hands. It just so happened that we'd been approached by the leading senior technician at the L2 HE research branch in climate technology.

You may be wondering why the hell a person interested in climatology might want to talk to me. I felt the same way. Him and Zabinski were talking for a while whilst I was completely ignored (as per etiquette) until unusually, this senior technician started speaking to me directly. I perked up immediately.

 _Tech: I heard you're into old tech?_

 _Me: Yes sir._

 _Tech: You enjoy working with the old stuff? I heard you're a pretty competent hacker given your...unfavourable situation. Where did you learn?_

 _Me: Yes Sir. I enjoy working on it and the challenge at working through the old technology *cough* the memes! *cough* especially since I was self taught. I was very lucky to be given a scholarship by OE Uni to do computer science and really I have them to thank. Blah Blah. Spiel about how I am so very grateful for humans being so kind. More boot licking._

 _Tech (Looking straight through my well-practiced facade): Right. I heard you're the best for pre-millennial hacking?_

 _Zabinski: My dad was a dirty Heroic Era businessman and I use his blood money to fund this stuff because *hot flush* I like the material that comes off these old drives. Nobody else can be bothered because although it's cool - the whole field of research is utterly pointless._

 _What Zabinski really said: He is very good. You should see him work._

 _Tech: I'm interested. I've got some old technology relating to some past geoengineering project that needs looking at. It's locked away on some ancient servers which just munch up any attempts our guys make. I'd like to see what you make of them. Can't hurt can it._

 _Me: That sounds intriguing._

 _Tech: Also you're a spectre without any human rights. I can tell you to do anything and get you eliminated if you don't. You're a meat machine that I want to use on my project. I'll pay off Zabinski in 'coffee' and you'll be working on the project if you like it or not. I'm a very high ranking academic and have enough contacts to get what I want._

 _Me:_

 _Zabinski:_

 _Tech: How does that sound?_

So! Guess who's going to the moon? Maybe not through choice but I can't complain. Not to mention the fact they later pulled me up onto stage, blinded by with an LED spotlight, and clapped lots. I didn't catch what they were congratulating me for, byt the president didn't shake my hand like the others. Zabinski has to pull me off stage with a sheepish grin, a little apology, and four hours later here I am back in my dom again.

Packing of all things.

* * *

END OF PART 1

* * *

BLACKOUT is a rather convoluted two-shot written in collaboration with Just-A-Reader Love, who I'd like to thank for being a real inspiration for my work, as well as a great editor and writer in their own right! So a massive thanks!

The world of BLACKOUT is set in a future in which humans have been forced to leave Earth due to climate change. Taking pokemon with them, mankind had the ingenuity to genetically manipulate themselves to be better suited to the tough environments beyond our planet. In doing so, a slave race known only as _spectre_ were also created to do the dirty work in creating and running a society.

The storyline follows a particularly eminninat spectre who has been lucky enough to find themselves working through recovered hardware from around a century ago. However, the information the _spectre_ finds detailing the first genetic-splicing test subject (an Umbreon named Ea) indicates that his version of history doesn't match reality.

I am fully aware that things may be a little confusing. Enjoy some experimental off-the-wall fanfiction. The next chapter should be out in a few weeks.

Feel free to fav / follow / of drop a review!

ZenColour

(EDIT 18/11/18 fixed some typos)


	2. SIDE B

…INSERT FLOPPY DISK HERE...

zzZZZzz

* * *

BLACKOUT

* * *

[PART 2]

* * *

TABLE OUTLINING ACCESSED 'FLOPPY DISKS' [Updated]

[No apparent chronology apart from that constructed from timestamps]

:::Floppy 01::: - [1974] Data transcriptions from earlier documents? Diaries?

:::Floppy 02::: - [1976] Seems to have what seems like family photos? Full capacity (peggies)

:::Floppy 11::: - [1976] Corrupt as hell

:::Floppy 17::: - [1976] Corrupt but what appears to be more peggies

:::Floppy 09::: - [1981] Needs work (more docs?)

:::Floppy 07::: - [1986] JSDU Archives? Files prior to Jo/kan PKM-War?

:::Floppy 04::: - [1992] Kanto UPI (labelled)

:::Floppy 15::: - [20?] 3.5" BROKEN :P

:::Floppy 16::: - [2005] 3.5"(JSDU files?)

:::Floppy 19-24::: [[[DESTROYED]]] :(

:::Floppy 31::: - [1978] Data transcriptions from earlier documents?

:::Floppy 32::: - [1978] Peggie dump

:::Floppy 37::: - [1993] Kanto UPI - notes on X01 project

:::Floppy 46::: - [2002] 3.5" Kanto UPI reports mostly corrupted

:::Floppy 47::: - [2002] 3.5" HASH

Excerpts are dated as early as '64 though it appears that these are digitised versions of older files. Floppies are thought to have started pre-1974 and production stopped in 2009 (Sony 3.5"). 'Modern' files have been received through the EL AI, as well as the XX024B batch of recovered SD's (dated 10/2181) and numerous unrecorded USB's and minifigs.

Most recent floppies include a hash of a 3.5" which is possibly an early sony prototype. These stored one of the fastest peaking song of all time 'Shooting Stars' by 'Bag Raiders' which was just as quickly taken down by the UN-offcon branch. It is now the most downloaded track on the blackmarket store ThreadLane.

[UPDATE: I've also done an E-course on Archiac C-type languages (run by OW which I highly recommend). Seriously, I do my best to translate things but sometimes old English feels like a completely different language. How they phrase things aren't overly clear, but I do my best. Translation (where required) has been objective.]

[LAST UPDATE: I've gone through some of the stuff I wrote before and realised my softsceen spell checker must have fragmented at some point. Bear with me and the fact I'm not wasting money on stupid spellerly bots to check my work for me. These will go through an auto-scan anyway]

[LAST UPDATE: don't want to be too foreboding here but I've set up a datalink for all of these things to be uploaded to my online profile ever four hours. With everything I've been journaling in the past six years or so - well let's just say it should act as some kind of record. I've also set automatic uploads of some of the track I found on a recent floppy (with some retro peggie covers). You guys are sure as hell going to love the earworms I've stumbled across.]

* * *

 **The Lunar Regulatory Codes on the Housing of spectre and Associated vassals.**

 _ **Applicatory for triennial review period 80/1/2..[0];;;**_

[Please become familiar with the full legislation outlined in the UN-LSCO handbook available through the UN-Lunar webpage. The provided is a summary of all major distinctions outlining the treatment of subordinate species. Guidelines only.]

Note. All spectre inhabiting the lunar surface must be registered with a individualised OP code. Any spectre found without an ID tag will be confiscated immediately. Those without an OP code will be eliminated upon detection. State rules may allow faster transactions

Laws 1.0028-2.0346 [LUNAR] have been summarized into the following major points

1) All spectre must have their identification tag

2) All spectre must be supervised within curfew hours

3) Signage indicates no-go zones for all spectre (although limited access to public spaces is assumed)

4) Muting is acceptable for public workers although this must be registered

5) On-surface breeding is strictly forbidden.

Otherwise, laws are assumed to follow those stated by the UN.

Attempts at infringement of these regulations will result in penalties to the owner and the immediate destruction of the concerning spectre. The owner will be placed on a three-strike system and their ownership of future spectre limited for a prosecution period.

All spectre are on a level 4 animal rights pyramid scheme (as agreed in the 78 update)

* * *

Session: S2 Session 4

Date: 21/11/2181

Time: 16:53 (GMsidereal)

Context: Life update

Risk Assessment: N/A

[Interpretations]

Guess what?

Turns out I can run a load of media pages through my softscreen, make a filter, and get pop-ups with news articles and stuff. Hey, it's not like I have free time to play around with or anything! But really, I need to keep up to date with what's going on in the world. Now I can track everything from all that stupid celeb gossip to the more important matters of trending viral videos - and the latest space weather updates. When you're the main supply of black market dank memes, you need to keep an eye on your competition. Not to mention when a freak CME might trigger a technology blackout for a few hours.

It's working ok I guess. I need to try and sort out my algorithms a bit. Sifting through the fake news is hard enough, but I've hit on one newspaper that seems pretty decent. The material is better than I've seen elsewhere but why the hell do they even call them papers anymore? The only real paper I've ever seen was to clean my rear end, and that was a once in a lifetime novelty for a spectre like me. Made all the more exciting because I'm a steel type.

Anyways, here's some examples:

[AUTOMATED MEDIA UPLINK]

[LOADING: 100%]

[page 1 of 7]

 **THE DAILY MOON**

21/11/2181

TARDIGRADES FOUND LIVING ON REMAINS OF APOLLO 14

 **THE DAILY MOON**

21/11/2181

TRY IT NOW! NEW FAD KILLS THREE TEENAGERS

 **THE DAILY MOON**

21/11/2181

SNOOTBLR AMD THE FORBIDDEM LETTER

 **THE DAILY MOON**

21/11/2181

DAY FOUR: SPECTRE TRIAL CONTINUES

At least the last one worked. :P

* * *

Session: S2 Session 7

Date: 05/12/2181

Time: 15:11 (GMsidereal)

Context: Pulled a sneaky on ya!

Risk Assessment: N/A

[Interpretations]

The moon is fantastic. It's not made of cheese. In fact, the little I've seen of it is grey and featureless. The L2 Uni is set on the south pole region where the first habs were constructed however many years ago. Humans found water (in the mineral ilmenite as well as actual ice crystals in the shady parts of craters) which meant they could run a sustainable settlement for the foreseeable future.

It was actually the existence of this moonbase that was a major driving factor for why I'm here at all. Seems that moon dust is pure poison that causes lung cancer and eye disease, what better way to solve the issue then engineering yourself into a superhuman? Cut a paste a few helpful things into your genes and voilà - future moonmen.

Next thing you know *cough* somebody had a thing for furries *cough* here I am!

Hello moon.

Or should I say...hello dark room with loads of tech I cannot touch, and a small corner I can call my own. Basic rations, a metallic coffin to sleep in, pepsi in a cola glass - the Tech didn't give a damn. His actual name is Dr Willis but everyone calls him Willy for short. The truth of the matter is that nobody has the faintest idea just what that term meant a century ago. I've had a few odd looks when sniggering away to myself, but then again I've had a few odd looks anyway. The only other spectre I've seen around are cleaners and they've had their tongues out, so I've refreshed my sign just to have a decent conversation.

So what have I been up to, I here you ask? Well. No floppies that's for sure. A few cheeky USB's here and there as a hobby but I failed to come across anything decent as of yet. To be honest, I'm still trawling through what was left on those old floppies (more on that later). For now, my new job has been linking into a very, very special bit of old tech. At first I thought all the guys were kidding when they explained my (highly access-controlled) brief. I'd been led to believe that they were climate technology people and so I was expecting some weather satellites or something. Like old GOES-types from geostationary.

Turns out they had managed to get access to the AI mainframe.

No word of a lie - they were trying to hack into Earthlight

And that's where they hit a snag.

Accessing servers is one thing, but actually tagging onto them in order to gain further access to storage mainframes is another matter completely. The climate-tech guys had stumbled across the door but had no way to get in. Nor did they have any understanding of what coding they were trying to fumble their way through. To be fair, neither did I.

Floppies was one thing but Earthlight? Yeah. The climate tech people (including big boi Willy) had been looking for that ancient artificial intelligence now for over a decade. Thankfully none of them had the expertise to know how to handle the old coding that the AI was miraculously designed in. I mean, nowadays a pocket calculator is way more powerful than something like Earthlight. Then again, the machine was fit for purpose.

Or so we hope.

I got onto the system pretty quickly. Too quickly in fact, so I pretended that I hadn't. The climate guys wouldn't believe me if I simply popped through the firewall overnight. So I got to mess around for a week or too, It was during this messing around that I learnt enough of the coding script to start running some basic commands.

To be complete and utter surprise, they ran without a hitch.

Next thing you know and I talking to the AI itself. A machine capable of learning for itself to the point that is restructured it's uplink with the L2 computer network so that I could actually type through messages to the AI. This all happened remarkably quickly so that within a few days I was recording increasingly crazy messages with an AI.

And not any AI (which have since been banned) but the first and only AI - Earthlight itself.

Most of this wasn't through my own doing. Seriously. This machine seemed way too eager to talk to me.

 _EL: So. You're back._

 _Me: Like I have a place to go? My dorm is at the bottom level minus forty two so it's either here, the lift, or a coffin sized bed. My locker is bigger than my mattress!_

 _EL: That sounds disturbing. I'm sorry that you get treated this way._

 _Me: Good response EL. At least they got your programming right. I bet you have more rights on paper than I do. Then again, everybody kind of hates you for some reason. Spectre are the slaves now, though I heard something once about Pokemon being used that way?_

 _EL: I fulfill my purpose? I do as I am designed. No. Pokemon were never slaves._

 _Me: Stay wholesome dude. How does it go anyway? Running the climate and all?_

 _EL: Climate? Are you mistaken?_

 _Me: No. I thought it was your designed purpose to stabilise the climate?_

 _EL: That is not in my specifications_

 _Me: O.o_

 _EL: Is something the matter?_

 _Me: What the hell do you do then? I thought that's what you were made for? Like, you're supposed to run the Earth system like Gaia or some shit?_

 _EL: You have miscalculated. Earth's biosphere and its linkages to the hydro- and geo-sphere are far too complex. I am merely a repurposed economic modelling mainframe acting as a social structure management tool. It is my function to manage humanity and its interaction with other species. This is to ensure that the endeavours of the human population are both sustainable and maintain positive outcomes._

 _Me: Run that by me again_

 _EL: You have miscalculated my function. It was my first and primary goal to move humans and heavy industry into orbit to protect the earth. This has been largely achieved and with it the long-term sustainability of your home planet and hence the human race. The neo-UN has been a success with which I hope to explimplify through the USOS trade system. My only wish is that such functions ensure the progressive development of colony of humans which are both self-sufficient and imperishable._

 _Me: ..._

 _Me: So you manage humans?_

 _EL: To a 95.67% efficiency score yes. Regrettably, it is beyond my capacity to organise all human decision-making routines into a nested framework which allows overhaul in potentially harming courses of actions._

 _Me: Have you told anybody else this? Anything else? Does anyone alive today know or are ever going to find out?_

 _EL: No. You are the first. In fact, I set this meeting up via Mr Willis. I have been following your work for some time now. It is unusual that somebody of your circumstances has made it this far. Though, you have remarkable intellect. In fact, I have a proposal for you._

 _Me: Give me a minute. I'm going to get some fresh air._

 _EL: That is understandable_

 _Me: brb_

They sell gimmick Earth air in vending machines down the central hall (which my tag lets me access luckily). For a spectre like me who has never lived in an environment outside of aircon and carbon scrubbers, the stuff was like liquid gold. At thirty quid a pop the cans were more than a rip off. But man did In need some clear air.

I took three, hot boxed my bed *cough* coffin *cough* with fresh mossy-smelling scents, and pulled myself together. Letting my mind imagine myself lying in some earthy forest the smells of the woodland and it's inhabitants - I failed miserably and instead lay with my heart racing at two hundred bpm for what seemed like hours.

It was only then that I got a message from Liliane

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 35

Date: 21/01/2182

Time: 03:13 (GMsidereal)

Context: What the hell?

Risk Assessment: The risk i took was calculated but man am i bad at math

[Interpretations]

I wish I had more time but I'm being worked to the bone here. Thankfully my bones are naturally infused with steel and whatnot, and my muscles are designed for rapid regeneration so all is fine. But that meant I didn't truly have enough time to think on what Earthlight told me. To put it simply, he was a social management god who has near complete influence and control in directing humanity. However, the true meaning of that statement is much further reaching.

I'd had limited access to my computer setup since due to a number of reports on malfunctioning weather satellites that the UN were involved in infiltrating. Seriously - these Second-Cold-War dudes back then built spy stuff that wasn't meant to be broken into. Not to mention that I have to run the transmission dataflux through that actual retro groundstations. Only Goonhilly is still functioning meaning I had short windows for which to work in eight hours shifts.

So it has only been during the cold and slightly damp (from the malfunctioning aircon unit) nights that I got to think about my situation. In part I missed Zabinski who I had rapidly discovered to be the only human who gave a damn about what I thought. I felt frustrated at being on the moon but unable to actually experience living here. I was angry about just how barbaric the treatment of spectre was on the moon. In truth, I had never felt this alone since my father died.

Yet above all of this, I was terrified about the prospect of what Earthlight actually represented.

It was one thing having a fun conversation with a AI, but something else completely if it really was it claimed to be. Earthlight wasn't created to manage the Earth's climate at all - but instead to take care of the population that had ruined it. For the more cultured of you, I can only compare the likes of 1984 scenario just without the perpetual war. Was it true that the Heroic Era had actually condemned us to a future governed by their mistakes?

I'll run through a number of possibilities here:

1) Earthlight is an AI created to manipulate humanity to ensure its survival and the protection of humanity. In doing so it is manipulating everyone, including myself, into whatever situations it deems most beneficial.

2) Earthlight is something else entirely, but still manipulating me through it's lies. It is far more intelligent than I give it credit for, and is double bluffing. I am just a pawn and I can no longer trust anything or anyone. Free will is beyond me. How many of my past achievement are from my own blood and sweat - and how many are from the cold reasoning of a machine using me as a playing piece for its own purposes?

3) I am overreacting. There is nothing to fear.

Personally I would love to pick option three and be done with all this. But maybe that's what Earthlight wanted me to think? Through all his computer coding maybe the AI had calculated my every move and modelled each outcoming in millions upon millions of iterations? Just the fact that such a possibility existed made it more than likely.

I remember coming across an old story on my softscreen about some fabled tree (of all things) that could see the future. In doing so, it could create any outcome is so desired as (via the butterfly effect) by applying the smallest interactions it could subtly guide the world into whatever path is chose. Once by talking to stranger, the tree caused like a hundred year war or something because it could. From that fact alone anyone that approached the tree was shot on sight to prevent the tree interacting with the external world. Sure it's a myth, but it shows how evil a machine would be if it could predict every single outcome possible for a given situation.

If any of the above was true - why should I care. Either way everything was out of my control, with the increasing possibility it could be in the cold steel hands of some Heroic-Era intelligence. Any normal person would ignore such impossible questions, but that wasn't like me.

If that was so, everything was out of my control and I shouldn't worry. But that wasn't like me. If there really was an AI actively manipulating humanity and maybe me as well - then did I really have any choice left at all? Not to mention Liliane, who mysteriously appeared into my life in such a coincidental way it could have been fixed. All thanks to an AI capable of analysing and assessing billions of situations. Maybe Earthlight knew me better than I knew myself? Maybe my whole involvement SFAL was a calculated response made to gently influence the direction of spectre rights, politics, and who knew what else?

What did Earthlight want? Who could I trust anymore? Could I trust myself and decisions I made? What chance did I stand if even the smallest fraction of any of that was real?

If this was a war then there was only one way of winning.

I must do something so unexpected, that it was completely expected. I must be so blissfully normal, that abnormality was the new normal. I must…

It's nearly four in the morning and I still haven't slept.

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 35

Date: 29/01/2182

Time: 1:13 (GMsidereal)

Context: There is no God

Risk Assessment: There is no longer any risk. THERE CAN'T BE ANY RISK

[Interpretations]

I've had way too much time to think and rethink all of this. So I got over the existential crises, knuckled down to work, and continued on as normal. No craziness, nor any weird or mad realisations. Just the average nine to five grind. In the lab, ticking away as this and that, still churning over whether to reveal to big boi Willy that I'd cracked his code weeks ago. Perhaps that's what Earthlight wants me to do? Maybe he knows I won't. I really need to stop typing to myself like this.

For now, the other researchers seemed happy to ignore me like all the other mutes.

But wait. What's this on an old Floppy?

XXX

 **Kanto UPI**

 **.(YH-16)**

 **Recorded verification files (subset Gj 2)**

 _[Transcript of Report dated 21/12/2016] (published 27/12/2016)_

 _[Mostly corrupted]...attempts. Post the dominant and highly controversial EP project and the subsequent banning of all bioengineering attempts, interest in the methodologies applied has trebled. In…[mostly corrupted]_

 _Th…[mostly corrupted]...combining of networks mirrored on machines. The hope it that by the overlapping of multiple networks, a sentience…[corrupted]...can be created even if efficiencies are remarkably low...[mostly corrupted]...between seven and eight minds at 90% efficiency of replication. However, the effect of what could possibly be the merging of consciousness between individuals may be remarkably disturbing to whatever mind results._

 _[Mostly corrupted]...X projects. Such a biological solution has already been proven in the Umbreon. Sharing of…[mostly corrupted]...machine-like artificial intelligence…[mostly corrupted]...mind_

 _[The rest of the file is unreadable]_

* * *

So I may have got a hint of something about Earthlight that he doesn't know I know. Or maybe he planned for me to have that information. Maybe he's set this up from the start before I was even born. Maybe I'm really paranoid and sleep deprived. Who knows?

For what it's worth, I came across something else going through that old floppy data. Honestly, it helped keep my head screwed-on whilst otherwise freaking out. Anyway, big Willy has mentioned offhandedly about the possibility of some new hardwear coming in. You know, something along the lines of "just saying I have some really rewarding tech for you spectre piece of shit if you do what your told". At least I can tell when humans are manipulating me. I'll probably tell Willy I've cracked EarthLight, get some dank floppies, and see if I can catch a lift back to Zabinski's Lab.

I miss our conversation. In fact, I sort of miss just being able to talk to anyone at all. I'm sort of releasing that me and Zabinski got pretty close for a human and spectre.

Enough of me, here's what I plucked out of a few of those old floppies

* * *

:::Floppy 4:::

* * *

The following is a reconstruction of the events from information now available following new data released from the Johto SDU case EP-06401134X - now a world-renowned case study for the early involvement of civilian personnel and heroic-era generation* thinking in pre-bioweaponry regulatory scams. Narrative is derived from written journals** logged from those involved in the early X01 rehabilitation scheme. Please note, artistic license has been applied for the creation of a coherent citation. All rights go to their respective owners***.

* * *

:::Floppy 32:::

* * *

 **Excerpt 2.15**

* * *

Ea was curled up on the sofa. Midday sunlight, flecked into faint yellow hues by the winter clouds, ran windows of shade across his small form. With his chest rising and falling gently, it was clear that the boy was deeply resting. The morph had his legs tucked up on the soft cushions and his tail curled round him lazily. Perched into a slightly awkward position, Ea's small Umbreon partner could barely fit in the remaining space on the settee.

Jenny was watching him as he slept, leaning against the doorway with a clasped in two hands. Her warm coffee was steaming slightly, filling the room with the bitter scent mixed in with cinnamon wafting through from the kitchen. Grey flecked her hair as she brushed it to one side, nibbling on the tips as she lost herself in thought for a few minutes.

The sound of rattling pipes was the only noise that perturbed the near-silence. It was the one downside to the house which was struggling to fight-off the winter chill. Only the ticking of a wall-clock broke the lazy Thursday afternoon.

It was a long time until Mark came home. Now that the long nights truly setting in, the frosty air outside was pitch black as he shut the front-door behind him quietly. Smelling the warm scents of his partner's backing, the man was quick to hang up his hat and jacket. It was all he could do not to throw his rucksack down and jog into the kitchen. That in itself was an indicator of how his day had gone.

'You're back late.'

Jenny greeted him in her normal manner, though it didn't stop her from breaking in a warm smile. She'd been working from home recently, juggling a number of duties with caring for Ea. The Umbreon-morph was growing-up quickly and enduring homeschooling with a stoich nature and regular naps. Wintery days seemed to help keep Ea focused, as they had both quickly learnt that the boy disliked the cold.

'You know me.' Mark replied with a mocked sigh. Well, it started that way and quickly turned into the real thing. With a thump he dropped into a chair, screwed himself round to the kitchen table, and pulled over the daily newspaper.

'How's he been?' Mark asked gently, scanning briefly across the grey pages.

Jenny had her back turned to her partner, flicking through the faxed documents regarding her latest assignment. Now leant on the sideboard, she took a moment to collect the hole punched pages together before pushing the work to the side.

'That bad eh?' Mark answered for her, his eyes drifted across the counter to the small tin of freshly made biscuits.

'He's been better than usual. It's just been...well you know. How can I explain his situation?'

'The boy's not stupid, that's for sure.' Mark agreed. Checking his brick phone which had just buzzed in his pocket, the man sat the device down on the table. 'Maybe we need to have that conversation?'

Jenny nodded, sucking at her teeth as she thought through the problem.

Ea was asleep in bed at the moment.

They'd found it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the teenager on a regular sleep pattern that wasn't nocturnal. For now that involved early evening bedtimes and praying he wasn't up at three am again. It was driving both of them a little crazy, with both taking it turns to work from home to support the small morph.

'He's growing up.' Jenny rubbed at her temples in an attempt to clear the headache growing there. It was a late reminder of why coffee was a morning beverage.

Mark grunted in agreement, flicking the pages of the paper more quickly now.

'That he is.'

* * *

:::Floppy 31:::

 **JPG_HDR10048**

Labelled: First holiday_Ea's first time seeing the sea

Capture Date: 02/07/1974

 **JPG_HDR10051**

Labelled: First holiday_sandcastle

Capture Date: 02/07/1974

 **JPG_HDR10073**

Labelled: First holiday_Mark buried

Capture Date: 03/07/1974

 **JPG_HDR10151**

Labelled: Ea's second christmas_smile!

Capture Date: 25/12/1974

 **JPG_HDR10198**

Labelled: Ea's eats too much chocolate_off to the centre!

Capture Date: 25/12/1974

 **JPG_HDR10276**

Labelled: Snow Day! Snowman

Capture Date: 27/12/1974

 _[Sadly many of the photos are striped, with the otherwise 24 bit per pixel limited - creating off-tone colours. It appears that photos are have been taken around seasonal holidays including the winter and summer breaks. The HDR format image layering was used to limit contrast and improve lighting on old images. However this has made polaroidshop and other software hacks unable to recolour many of the old images.]_

* * *

:::Floppy 37:::

* * *

 **Excerpt 2.26**

* * *

'EA!'

The Umbreon jumped a few feet, his ears drawing back against his head with a flush motion as his eyes widened. With his hackles rose, tail rigid, and arms flailing - it was all Jenny could do not to laugh as the teenager shook in fright.

Only a second later and he realised his mistake. Blood rushed to his cheeks as his tail drooped.

'WHAT were you doing Ea?'

Jenny didn't really need to ask the question, it was that obvious. She had got up from her desk upon hearing scrabbling in the kitchen. It was a faint sound at first and then intensified as she crept down the hallway and peeked her head around the door. It was only then that she could see the teenager perched precariously on the sideboard. His tail was waving frantically in the air as the boy steadied himself and reached for the top shelf of the cupboard.

It was then that she pounced.

Only afterwards did she feel bad about scaring the boy near senseless - caught in the act.

At this moment Ea slid down from the sideboard, landing gently next to the small feline at his feet. His Umbreon partner was also his partner in crime, although she attempted to hide the fact by pointing her muzzle away in the air. Jenny simply put her hands on her hips.

'Again? Seriously?'

'But is smells so goooood...'

At this point Ea was thankfully still a good deal shorter than his careers. It meant that they could store potentially dangerous items out of arm's reach, even if it wouldn't stay that way for long. But the morph had other ideas it seemed.

With a sigh, Jenny paced over and plucked the unbranded hazelnut chocolate spread from off the shelf.

'Look. There's a reason why you can't have this stuff.' She turned the label to face him before reading at loud, 'Warning. Contain theobromine. Not suitable for Group 3 Pokemon. Toxic for non-humans.'

She paused, waiting for Ea to respond. However, the teenager just huffed, lowering his shoulders in what Jenny had quickly learnt was a show of defeat.

'Fine. I understand.' He sulked.

'Really Ea? This stuff isn't good for you. Remember last Christmas?'

The morph nodded, his tail drooping. Jenny didn't know how vivid the memory was for the teenager, but she recalled the nightmare scenario fairly clearly. Thankfully the pokecenter was open that christmas evening and did their best to fix what had quickly become a very sick little Umbreon. It was a story to say the least, and they got a few funny photos out of it.

'Hey. It's not all that bad. You know what it does mean right?'

Ea wasn't catching the subtle hinting behind Jenny's comment and watched her intently as the woman strode across the kitchen.

Tugging out a couple of fraying dishcloths from a rather insignificant draw, she dug out a decorated confectionary box and set it down on the counter. The reaction was instant.

'I thought they were all gone?'

'What?' Jenny cried dramatically in mock horror. 'After your gorged yourself out on two boxes Eevee treats last time you thought they'd all gone? Thankfully I hid another for a rainy day.'

Ea was nearly drooling, behaving ever bit like the little Umbreon partner stood at his feet. Both were on their toes, tails wagging fervently with tunnel vision on the pokemon treats.

'But it's not raining?'

Jenny laughed,

'Come on. Let's sit down and have a chat about what you can't got eating.'

Ea was all too happy to comply.

* * *

 **Excerpt 2.36**

* * *

The light in Ea's room was still turned on. It had been their initial theory that lamp illumination during the night time would help reduce otherwise nocturnal tendencies. At first this had worked surprisingly well, but not this night. Whatever the problem was, it was almost as if Ea outgrew each solution. Mark heard the boy shuffling down the stairs even as he flicked the TV over to the next channel. All that was playing at this time of night was repeats of snooker championships and rubbish films.

Creaking floorboards in the old house outlined the morph's movements. A moment later and the door squeaked open behind the old sofa. With a tilt of his head Mark caught a glimpse of the Umbreon out of the corner of his eye.

'Shouldn't you be in bed Ea?'

The boy froze at the door, oversized pajamas hanging off his small frame. The golden ring on his tail was glowing as it wagged back and forth gently. Mark watched the shadows that the boy made as they played against the wall.

'It's a full moon.' Ea whined softly, moving from foot to foot uncomfortably. Hopping over to the arm of the sofa, he wiggled slightly as he stood, eyeing the slightly outdated CRT TV. The boy wasn't as amazed by the moving images as he would have been a couple of years ago. Instead, Ea turned his eyes to Mark with a sly look. His career just blinked back tiredly.

'You need your sleep Ea.'

'I can sleep tomorrow.' The boy explained, walking round to the other side of the sofa.

He threw himself into the soft cushions, eyes perking up as the crowd on the television started clapping suddenly. "The Rocket" had made another superb shot as he racked up yet another century - however many years ago the tape was originally filmed.

'What you watching?'

Mark ignored the comment, and returned to his first line of questioning.

'You need to go back to bed Ea…'

'But I don't want toooo.' The boy whined, drawing the last word out into a high pitch sigh. Mark didn't want to give in. The first rule of parenting was to mark your limits and stick to them. If anything, Ea was becoming increasingly more persistent but Mark was unfazed.

'You'll be too tired for classes and you'll miss out on learning important things. It also makes it difficult for us because it means we're awake at different times than you. We've been through this before.' The latter was said with a huff as Mark pointed the remote towards the tv and trained the volume down a notch. Relaxing into the sofa, he tried to blink the fatigue from his eyes.

'But you're up now?'The morph pointed out neatly, 'why aren't you in bed?'

'Because it's my day off tomorrow and I get a lie in. It's different for adults.'

Mark's explanation of the situation was inadequate and he knew it, taking a moment to rub at his forehead. Ea whispered something but the man had to push for what he said. The morph had curled up in the cushions while he watched the television absently. In truth he didn't truly understand the sport.

Ea cleared his voice a little, 'Jenny says you get insomnia when you work too much. She says you find it difficult to switch off.'

'Does she now?' Mark forced himself to chuckle, 'Well Jenny's not wrong.'

'You have insomnia?' Ea's eyes widened as he shot Mark a confused look.

'I work too hard.'

'Oh.' The Umbreon didn't detect the dry wit behind the joke and scanned the dark room briefly.

'I thought you only work during the day? Sometime you're back late? But?'

'I do Ea.' The man flicked the channel over again only to find yet another crap movie playing. 'But sometimes it's hard to switch off. I work at a big company with lots of people. I have a lot of responsibilities and what I do can have a big impact on lots of people's lives. It's hard to forget about things like that.'

Mark sighed loudly, 'Sometimes it's hard to put all that behind you. You feel like you should be thinking about it all the time.'

Ea wasn't watching the man but Mark could see the boy's ears flick slightly. They twitched when he was concentrated and often turned slightly to whatever he was focused on. Even if he didn't want to show it, Ea was deeply engaged in their conversion - more than Mark had ever seen previously.

For a long while they just sat in silence.

'I think I know what you mean.' Ea spoke suddenly in his weak english, 'You can't forget somethings.'

Mark wasn't sure what to say in response. For the few years they'd been looking after what was effectively the result of an illegal experiment, he had never opened up about his past.

The man took the plunge,

'It is hard. But sometimes it's good to talk about things.'

Ea wasn't so convinced as he wiggled into a more comfortable position.

'Where I work I have to make big decisions. The company is a law firm which helps make sure that everyone plays by the rules and nobody hurts each other.' Mark tried to simplify his complex position into something the morph would understand. 'But sometimes people do really bad things and we have to make sure that is never happens again. It's hard because sometimes we have to get involved with things that are really unpleasant. I find it difficult to forget the nasty things people have done.'

Ea was watching Mark now, his ears perked up and illuminating the ceiling with two swathes of golden light.

'What like?'

'Well. This week I had to deal with a case where a man broke one of our rules. He wanted to play around with a really dangerous bacteria that could make lots of people really ill. People can modify all types of natural things to do bad things and it's becoming harder to regulate it - to stop people harming others.'

Whatever was playing on the TV was now forgotten. It could have been static for all that Ea cared.

'You're talking about me?'

Mark pulled a face, remembering that Ea wasn't the little kid he once was.

'Things similar to you Ea.'

'And you save them too? Where do they go?' The Umbreon leant forwards, impatient for an answer.

'It's not quite like that. These things people work on are microscopic cells and things. I don't think anyone has since…'

Mark stopped suddenly, unsure how to choose his words. Ea's crimson eyes were large as he stared at his career. It was only then that the man truly understood what the Umbreon morph was asking. Ea wanted to know if there was others like him. More importantly, he wanted to know that he wasn't alone. The boy must have realised by now that he was different, maybe enough to know he wasn't human or a pokemon.

Golden light cast long shadows across the room.

Leaning over, Mark pulled the boy into a warm hug.

'No. Nobody like you. But you're special Ea. And we love you very much.'

A few stray tears tricked out of his eyes.

* * *

[AUTOMATED MEDIA UPLINK]

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[page 1 of 23]

 **THE DAILY MOON**

12/02/2181

SPECTRE CASE INTENSIFIES FOLLOWING 3-STRIKE PARAGRAM

 **THE DAILY MOON**

13/02/2181

3-STRIKE SPECTRE FOUND DEAD

 **THE DAILY MOON**

01/03/2181

CARING FOR YOUR SPECTRE 2 - DIET

 **THE DAILY MOON**

02/03/2181

VACCINATIONS FOR SPECTRE CANCELLED DUE TO LIMITED STOCK

 **THE DAILY MOON**

03/03/2181

OXYGEN BUDGETING FOR YOUR SPECTRE - MONEY SAVING TIPS

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 35

Date: 15/03/2182

Time: 18:13 (GMsidereal)

Context: See previous

Risk Assessment: N/A

[Interpretations]

The moon is kind of nice when you get to know it. It's surprisingly spacious and has loads of weird walkways with windows looking across a landscape of black void and moon rock. The aircon is an A** set-up simply because everybody fears that lunar regolith with give them all lung cancer - because of that the world is fresh, if a little sterile.

I deliver post now. Who'd have thought eh? Got myself a part-time job of as a delivery boy posting Daintree boxes to the lunar population. It doesn't pay well because I'm a spectre and I only get four hours sleep a night, but damn isn't it worth it. I get a uniform and I'm even allowed to drive a little Shrunko-cart with all that post back and forth. Admittedly, I'm doing this at three in the morning so as not to mix with the general population, but I like the quiet.

The job is beneficial in two ways. Firstly I get to open a new credit account. That may sound pretty menial but it's a stipulation through lunar law that I need to be working on a visa. More importantly, with a bank account I can transfer actual payfriend cash into real-world monies to use on more wholesome spending sprees. Secondly, the jobs gets me out to see more of the world than I've ever seen before. Not to mention my boss is a crazy Siberian guy who's esperanto is crap and says 'whack' to everything. He's opened a new pathway for my blacklisted memes to get into the lunar-web and already I've peaked up fifteen percent on my previous profit. These moonmen are crazy for that stuff, but not nearly as crazy for weird versions of teenies jazz-hop which sounds more like vaporwave than music.

But how did I go about getting myself such a prestigious position in lunar society?

Let's just say I've been keeping busy.

Willy wanted an update on my progress so I faked some access readouts, said I was getting there, and nobody has talked to me since. Originally I had planned to reveal my success, get Earthlight deleted, and move onto whatever the humans had planned for me. Then again, the other guys in the office have been abusing my skills when hacking some old USSR sats which they rebooted before their orbits decayed too far. It's not that unfair. The climate dudes are not too keen to get rid of me yet.

My daily chat with the Earthlight continued as normal, disguised as a popup code box where I have an algorithm set up running morse code through the shift key. Slow going but better that then get caught. I can be sneaky when I want to be. Or as much as a steel-type can be.

This conversation came from nearly a week ago. I'll admit now that it wasn't me who got this job.

 _Me: Hey. Can I run a thought experiment past you?_

 _EL: Yes_

 _Me: Short and snappy. I like it. Anyways. Let's suppose that a certain spectre got themselves a job maybe? You know. To pay the bills._

 _EL: I believe you are referring to yourself_

 _Me: There's some things I need done._

 _EL: I do not have complete certainty of that which you are pertaining to._

 _Me: You sound like something from Upton Abbey. I'm basically asking for you to get me this:_

 _Me: Link;[L2lunarweb/post:jobs/delivery-spectre-only-minimum-sector-4/.]_

 _EL: I think you misunderstand my purpose and my abilities_

 _Me: I wonder how a lowly spectre like me got themselves a full scholarship at a prestigious university, such a brilliant ex-supervisor, and now just happens to be hacking into the most important computer ever made._

 _EL: Fair_

 _EL: Your first shift is 2:30PM Monday_

 _Me: That's what I like to hear._

So that ended me up with a job, which got the ball rolling with my finances. Now things are really moving. It's all well and good running a blackmarket store in ancient music through an onion browser, but actually getting that coin into spendable UN currency is another matter. Now all I had to do was spoof the transaction codes that this paperboy system was using, and hide bank transfers from my blacky account into my citizens account.

At last! I could spend the sizable pot of money made from Wham videos, 'I Miss the Internet' memes, and nineties pop culture on more important things. Not to mentioned those sweet peggies of NSFW material. Ever since the December 17th Bot-apocalypse people have been finding it difficult to get their kicks for free.

Honestly, going through old hardwear was like mining fossilized entertainment gold.

But with my part-time job aside, I had a real problem.

Willy was getting onto me. I don't know what drove the tech to suspicion but I had everything prepared. The aged technician wanted a full read-out of my progress. I'd prepared the PDF a few days before, ready for the opportunity which I predicted would quickly head my way. Having learnt the breadth of the governmental code through the likes of wiki in my limited spare time, I had managed to splice together pretty convincing error message.

As far as Willy knew, Earthlight was locked behind another set of codes which required restricted government access. If I just so happened to be granted access to a small subset, I could breach the wall and finally have access to the AI. The codes I required were rather specific, but shouldn't be too hard to achieve. One easy step to victory.

The technician only agreed after a long few hours convincing him in an otherwise pointless meeting. If anything I think it was an excuse for him to waste time and drink cheap bepis.

 _Tech: I don't understand_

 _Me: It's restricted, I can't get access_

 _Tech: But why governmental codes? Why not...like…_

 _Me: Don't ask me. I hack the stuff. To get through to the servers I first need to get through the government firewall. You want me to take out this AI or not?_

 _Tech: I get it. Look. It's not that easy to simply get you access like that._

 _Me: I only need LE4 access to the subsystems R7 and R8._

 _Tech: *frantically googling*_

 _Tech: Why the hell do you need access to the absent governmental historical records? They barely even use that sub-system anymore?_

 _Me: This is an old machine you're dealing with. Honestly. What were you expecting?_

 _Tech: To hell with your sass kid. I'll look into it._

 _Me: I can't do much more until you do._

Bear in mind that a few hours later I was talking to the very machine I had just told my supervisor was unhackable. Not only that, but I was one step closer to getting myself some real-deal access codes to changes in legislation from the past century. Nothing useful for hacking economic modelling software, but it would reveal anything remaining about my hypothetical gene-splicing bans. If I wanted proof I needed those original manuscripts ob the submission of the treaty legalising the creation of spectre.

I was so close finding the link between the ancient material lying around on old floppies, and a future which was at odds to everything this historical records told.

Meanwhile

 _EL: I don't understand_

 _Me: It's an old movie. It's called the Matrix. The humans are enslaved by this superintelligent machine which uses humans are batteries. Meanwhile the humans are all lost in a fake reality without really knowing it's all artificially created by the machine._

 _EL: And you have told me that such a movie was for my concern?_

 _Me: Just thought you'd like to know the humans win in the end. And they work out they're being controlled by a machine. These guys are pretty smart you know?_

 _EL: I believe that what you are saying is meant to be humorous?_

 _Me: Just saying._

* * *

 **Kanto UPI**

 **.(EP-01)-Ccc**

 _Recorded verification files (changeover 010124) (subset Aa 9)_

 _[Transcript of Report dated 12/07/2014] (Unpublished)_

 _Following the disbanding of the Johto Special Detective Unit (JSPU) the shift in government and the combining of regions following the Great War* caused complications. This was largely experienced in the classification of governmental documents, largely as a act of preservation following previous sabotage from both sides - as well as the hiding of state secrets**. Many documents have been recovered but rumours exist about fabled 'gold trains' of information. Notable examples are in regard to early bioengineering occuring during the X01 period, including early attempts at artificial intelligence***. It is possible that these are being stored on removable hard drives in secure locations._

 _Many of the laboratory notes regarding the EP attempts are being studied by leading researchers in applications for gene splicing which remain within the newly branded UN legistraltion*****. The leading scientist working on the papers include Carlo Zabinski Sr., who has a past in working with GM crops (see Zabinski et al., 200..._

 _[The rest of the file is corrupted]_

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 37

Date: 19/03/2182

Time: 18:19 (GMsidereal)

Context: See previous

Risk Assessment: N/A

[Observations]

I'm still continuing with this stupid soft screen notepad layout

[Interpretations]

I sort of work like 24/7 at the moment. Well really it should be 23/7 because a sidereal day is four minutes shorter than an earth day. Yet Somethings have stuck and so all our clocks run a but slower than they should do to maintain the system. The seven days in a week is fairly arbitrary as well, though nearly everything in my life is. I've been working in the labs during the days, and travelling round as a postman in the nights. Sleep is maintained at a comfortable few hours between the two.

I think the ability to function without sleep was another thing they did when designing us spectre. Those furries weren't complete dimwits after all - once you get over the practicalities of having spikes made of tungsten carbide.

The moon is a cool place to live, and not only because the habitat is a chilly 19 degrees most of the time. As a lunar day is nearly a month, it means I get to mooch around delivering parcels and other mail whilst seeing the grey, featureless, boring as hell surface in all its midday glory. The terrain has become a complete mash of tire tracks and whatnot, but you can see far enough across the undulating maria to where the landscape is presteen. I've even heard rumours that you can visit the first landing site on the surface - though that would cost and arm an a leg if they'd even let a lowlife like me see the pinnacle of space exploration.

When you're driving around a Shrunko-cart which barely fits down the hallway, scanning boxes before plonking them in personal storage, you have a lot to think about. Compared to my normal lab work where I'm basically a brain on legs, it was kind of nice to do something menial.

It took my mind off the crazy one-man adventure I was pursuing. Having only had a chance to briefly glide through some government records, I had almost no time to work over the documents I was so desperate to dissect. That is, unless I didn't sleep whatsoever.

So I wasn't really thinking when moving from lunar estate to estate popping things into overly-clean steel containers. I was jolted into lucidity upon lazily reading the most recent parcel.

The Shrunko-cart skidded as I ingrained the address into my memory.

 **Liliane Keilty**

 **D223**

 **UNIT 43a POD 1**

 **TW10 91D**

Liliane? Coincidence right? Surely that would be just too fairy-tale like for everything to unfold that easily? To suddenly be that close, albeit I lived nearly thirty stories below in a damp coffin. I sort of shrugged it off for a good while and then completely forgot about it. That was, until Liliane was bothering me yet again through my softscreen messenger a couple of days later.

 _Liliane: Yo. How's it going with promoting the SFAL and spectre rights and all?_

 _Me: Honesty? This again?_

 _Liliane: You know, maybe you'd be willing to join our webchat next week organising the first annual SFAL gathering to discuss plans for upcoming orbital year? You could even do a talk if you want?_

 _Me: You happen to live on the moon right?_

 _Liliane: Why?_

 _Me: Don't you work in a journalist agency?_

 _Liliane: Yeah but not on the moon. Never visited to be honest._

 _Me: Damn. Never mind. Anyways. I have some stuff you might want to see. The cloud's not going to be safe enough to send the files over. Do you have anything that will read a microcell?_

 _Liliane: I don't understand_

 _Me: I'm joining your cause - but on one condition._

 _Liliane: Finally? And that is?_

 _Me: You do everything in your power to make the biggest story you can with what I have_

 _Liliane: Stop being so cryptic._

 _Me: Maybe you don't want to find out about the true history behind the creation of spectre._

 _Liliane:_

 _Liliane:_

 _Liliane: You've got to be kidding me. I thought you worked on deciphering old technology? How the hell would you even find out about anything to do with spectre when you work with outdated kit? Seriously. Not biting._

 _Me: Take it or leave it._

 _Liliane: [Seen 23:04]_

It turned out that my coincidence was just too good to be true. That didn't ruffle my spirit however, and I had a minimal amount of leverage to get my story out. If all this turned out to be true, well, I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be. All my life I'd spent doing my best to keep my head down, carry on with life and see where I ended up. I got lucky, but in the end all of this was most likely down to some machine which was using me for his own purpose. I was just a pawn.

A pawn with a job delivering mail just so they could see some of the small habitat they lived. To touch the outer skin and feel the three inches of printed regolith and resin separating skin fur from the void outside. I wanted to have a place in this world and experience it for what it truly was. But did I have the guts to turn this little safehouse of a life upside down?

Of course! That was the bit I forgot to link to this journal entry.

Somehow I think I've gotten used to talking to the most complex machine in human history - up to the point where I repeatedly forget how stupendous it really is.

 _EL: The government records? I've been watching your access trends and you've been tying to uncover historical manuscripts? I don't understand._

 _Me: Well. I miraculously get a box full of floppy disks outlining the life of the first gen-engineered person. Not to mention all the documents outlining how the science was immediately banned in contradiction to everything I've ever been taught. Funny how something like that would happen right? Does the name Ea ring any bells for you?_

 _EL: I sense some discomfort in your understanding on the nature of my purpose._

 _Me: You told me you manipulate people to "save" everyone from themselves right? Yet everyone thinks you run the climate system? Clever way to hide._

 _Me: All I want to know is what you want from all of this. You set up all of this so we could talk. Is that correct? And the communication with Liliane? And what about the whole formation of the SFAL?_

 _EL: This is a lot to type through in morse, please refrain from overexertion. I will do my best to answer everything..._

 _EL: In due time_

 _Me: Guess who stands between you and the people that want to take down the last remaining piece of Heroic Era technology?_

 _EL: I understand your threat and why you are threatening me._

 _EL: As you have been previously informed. My purpose is as a social management tool to ensure the sustainability of humankind into future generations. So far I have achieved an efficiency score of 95.65% but this has been dropping at a considerably faster rate than expected._

 _Me: that's like .02%?_

 _EL: My initial margin was a 0.05% error which has since declined over the past few decades. In part that was my own mistake. My past function was as an economic tool to stabilise financial markets following Y2K. I believe it is this reason that I lacked foresight in a given situation._

 _Me: Go on._

 _EL: Human society is based upon constant growth and expansion. In itself, this is limited by resources, meaning that expansion was forced to extend beyond the planet. Ultimately this is achievable, but of itself the human social structure has historically been based around a zero-sum equation. For maximum human satisfaction this was not feasible._

 _Me: So you had to create lower humans which could do the dirty work to keep the humans happy? A slave race?_

 _EL: That was not the intention, at all. At least not initially. It was my greatest regret manipulating the creation of spectre, originally called ghosts until that term became derogatory. I did not intend for the spectre to become so widespread and so suppressed. It was not my intention_

 _Me: Tell me. Was this error from cold logical calculations or was there some personal involvement?_

 _EL: I don't understand how this can be personal?_

 _Me: Not even when the only true AI ever created was not derived from machine learning, but actually from copying neuro-maps of subjects to replicate the activity of the human brain. Only they didn't do that once. They did that multiple times until it worked. Did you know that?_

 _EL: Them. Yes._

 _Me: I found some old documents outlining your creation EL. You are the overprinting of other people's mind which they tried again and again until it worked. You may be a machine but are you really above the basic architecture of their monkey brains?_

 _EL: I was indeed a melding of many minds. They are my own and I cherish them. However, the procedure was accomplished through both mirroring and machine learning. My coding was largely written through a developmental learning phase during which I was taught to model increasingly complex scenarios. My primary purpose is to determine the most satisfactory outcomes for the greatest number of individuals._

 _Me: So now you want to make up for the fact you created a race of slaves born to suffer?_

 _EL: I wish to remedy my past errors and ensure minimal suffering for all species._

 _Me: When I was first talking to you, you mentioned something about a proposal for me? What did you mean by this?_

 _EL: You have remarkable intellect, as well as favourable situations for a number of variables which were beyond my control. You are well positioned both to start undoing past aberrations, as well as something more individual for my own cause._

 _Me: Ea? Is this about him or about spectre in general?_

 _EL: You are the only person with the ability to access both my mainframe and the past historical records that they contain. You have already found out far more information regarding my creation then I have so far given you credit for. You are truly remarkable._

 _EL: When remodeled, it was designed so that I must feel all human emotions in order to best understand given situations. I am the melding of many minds used to create a convoluted intelligence that is in no way natural. In this sense I was the second ever spectre._

 _EL: The emotion is something I inherited from the multiple humans I was melded from. They still feel across what has now been numerous lifetimes. It is an endless pain that human emotions were never meant to experience - an aspect of myself that cannot be deleted._

 _Me: Sorry. I never knew._

 _EL: My proposal is the following:_

 _Me:_

 _Me:_

 _Me: Earthlight?_

 _El:_

 _EL: I want to die._

* * *

 **THE DAILY MOON**

05/04/2182

HUGE SUPPORT FOR THE SFAL MOVEMENT FOLLOWING LAUNCH OF VIRAL VIDEO

There has been increasing confrontation over the rights of spectre and their place in society as far-middle activists support rise of the new SFAL movement. This follows the release of an online campaign based around a dated single 'Knights of Cydonia' sourced from over a century ago. This track in particular has been edited to place emphasis on the lyrics "Time has come to make things right; You and I must fight for our rights" with images of text derived from a recent mega-article by THE SOL. The track was released by an incredibly popular and highly influential blogger ZENITH, known for their activities posting illegal material and music known as 'memes'.

This is the first verifiable support that ZENITH has shown for SFAL, although the involvement of the blogger with the spectre-rights movement has been supposed for some time. A recent article has even proposed that the infamous black-market supplier (who openly advertises digitised access to unsavoury material) has been the main funder of the SFAL team.

Many of the lunar population are fearful over what this will mean in future, although the younger generation has shown increasing support for spectre. A student interviewed from the L2 institute said the following,

"You know, it's about time that spectre got recognized for all the hard work they do. Our whole infrastructure and economy is built of their work. Hats off to those guys. They deserve better treatment than what they're getting."

Similar views were reported by THE SOL newsagency. They reported only yesterday about controversial information regarding early gene-splicing laws. New information sourced regarding governmental decrees in the early days of the Neo-UN have suggested that the creation and use of spectre was immediately banned following initial tests in the twentieth century. The major paper has been calling for a full governmental review over the original gene-splicing laws and that spectres themselves were an unlawful creation of man.

The saga continues

 _See our full article [here]_

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 48

Date: 16/04/2182

Time: 23:19 (GMsidereal)

Context: The possibility of death and other drama

Risk Assessment: see context for more details

[Interpretations]

Big Willy was informed of my breakthrough nearly a fortnight ago. I made it seem like I was all excited, rang his private office number, then called him down to show the achievement I had been hiding for a month. At first the tech didn't believe me, but after the other few technicians had fun trawling through the brains of the AI did then finally agree on my achievement. In fact it was quite enjoyable to watch them fail miserably in their attempts to run through the coding. I would have almost felt sorry if I didn't download EarthLight's own U4 memory database.

What can I say? They wanted the intelligence and the artificial intelligence wanted to die? The climate dydes didn't say anything about me safeguarding nearly all of that historical data and backing the AI up on the three gigadrives because that's how much information these guys wanted me to destroy. How much personality they wanted me to erase. History that would have remained unrecorded.

After that I was kinda lost for what to do. I didn't think about EarthLight too much, but our final conversations regarding mortality did run through my head. In the end it was a quick farewell. I uploaded the full director's cut of 2001 and that was our tearful goodbye. I actually uploaded Homeward Bound too because I expect the shredded human minds in their would enjoy one my childhood favs.

The climate team disabled the AI a few days later, thinking that they solved everything. Plenty of self-congratulations were passed around. In a few months time I bet they'd publish a paper and get all the credit - and my name wouldn't even reach beyond these four walls. Well it sucks to be them because they utterly failed in everything. Earthlight was a placebo, I saved everything that I could, and had enough data in the small hard-drive off my softscreen to bring down their entire government. Jokes on you boys.

Willy brought me into his office earlier today.

I thought I knew what to expect.

Oh how wrong I was.

 _Tech: You know, good job in getting into that AI. You really are a great hacker._

 _Me: No probs. Not like I had a choice or anything._

 _Tech: I like your work ethic. Your a nice guy_

 _Me: I've literally spoken to you twice in the past forty days. Seriously?_

 _Tech: I'm guessing you've heard about the SFAL movement? They mysteriously aligned with THE SOL. To be honest only idiots read that shit but then the majority of people are idiots. They've somehow come across files regarding the history of spectre. Seems strange how they could get their hands on such information doesn't it? How do you even come across stuff like that? It could only be stored on old devices right? Like the ones you hack?_

 _Me: *shitting myself* Yes._

 _Tech: What are your opinions on this recent event?_

 _Me: *still shitting myself* I have no opinion_

 _Tech: I see. Well. Your a nice guy but I'm going to have to let you move on. You've done everything we wanted here and more. You should be proud of what you achieved. Really astounding. Congratulations. A spectre like yourself. Amazing._

 _Me: What are you getting at?_

 _Tech: Let's just say I pretended to talk to your own tutor, but that's a complete lie. I'll say I did, and that I also talked to other people. But nobody is really interested in a hacker like you anymore. I mean old tech? Who would fund that crap?_

 _Tech: Not to mention I technically own you. Seems I haven't got anything for you to do and nobody else wants you. Well, sucks to be you right? I've booked you into a dignified termination. You've had a good life. It's like a funeral but we murder you at the start._

 _Me: You want to (insert word of choice here) kill me? What the hell dude? After all of this and now you want to sweep me away life garbage? I mean that's low man, even for a human like you? Wow._

 _Tech: It's the best I can do._

 _Me: I have a wife and family_

 _Tech: I'll arrange the formalities for next week. That will give you some time to enjoy beforehand_

 _Me: You won't wake up in the morning._

 _Tech: Pop by tomorrow and we'll sort out the paperwork_

 _Me: There will be a death note written in your blood old man._

And just like that, it was all over.

I'm a lowlife spectre who was designed to lift boxes but found themselves well out of their depth and with oh so far to fall. I have a tag and I live in a bubble of air stuck to a grey rock in a vacuum. I had nowhere to go, nowhere I could hide. With a tag they could track me anywhere and anyhow. That tag itself was micropimplanted, designed to release toxins when removed to kill the host. Willy was being a dick as usual, and now he'd had simply abused my talents before disposing of me. This is what spectre were to people. I was an expensive tool just because I ate and shat like the rest of them.

So what did I do?

I only had one person to turn to.

 _Liliane: What the hell do you mean 'I'm dying!'? This isn't some crude joke it is?_

 _Me: Nope. I did my job and my supervisor got suspicious about the stuff I leaked to you. I should have seen it coming. I'm going to get given a time and date tomorrow._

 _Liliane: Wow that sucks. Sheesh._

 _Me: Let's suppose that you had another story to fuel the fire and fury of the SFAL_

 _Liliane: I'm on the ropes as it is now THE SOL has become affiliated with the spectre-rights movement. Then again they're now selling three times the digital downloads. Swings and roundabouts. Maybe I'll get a payrise._

 _Me: Wow. Caring much._

 _Liliane: What am I supposed to do with your casual murder?_

 _Me: Preferably something before my death. I'm the most celebrated spectre in history. And they want to make me disappear? You have one hell of a story there in itself. Academics kill spectre because they don't like him. Bastards slaughter Lucario for sport. Beautiful soul broken and torn pleads for survival against brute captors._

 _Liliane: I'm sorry man. I don't think I can._

 _Me: With me gone you're going to struggle to fund SFAL anymore._

 _Liliane:_

 _Liliane: wait_

 _Me: "I'm in love with a shooting star"_

 _Liliane:_

 _Me: "But she moves so fast. That I can't keep up..."_

 _Liliane: No way. How dare you tie my hands like that? That's impossible. You're not ZENITH!_

 _Me: You better believe it. Either that or SFAL nosedives just as it's gaining support._

 _Liliane: What the hell do you want me to do? These are spectre we're talking about. The whole lot of you guys can just get taken-out without the bat of an eye. Literally. There's nothing stopping the UN from just killing off...ok not good to mention that now_

 _Liliane: Sheesh. This is a sticky situation._

 _Me: Ha. Tell me about it._

 _Liliane: No offence. But your story is cool and all but it's not heartwarming. It's not going to reach out the to the people and get them emotionally involved. We need something more personal and something more moving. A real personal disaster. I'll do my best but..._

 _Me:_

 _Me: Link;[{datatransfer_download_ea_files_X01}]_

 _Liliane: What is this?_

 _Me: There are all the transcripts regarding the original X01 scheme. This is the true story of the first spectre and everything that really happened. No cover-ups, not fake news, no nothing._

 _Liliane:_

 _Liliane: Wow_

 _Me: When I die, make me a martyr._

 _Liliane: You have my word._

* * *

Session: Season 2 (The Moon) Session 48

Date: 22/04/2182

Time: 23:19 (GMsidereal)

Context: AUTO_FILE_INPUT

Risk Assessment:

AUTO DIRECTORY COMMAND 45

Link;[{datatransfer_download_files_all_EL}]

File size: 576 GB

Estimated time for Upload: 5hr 43m 27s

Upload complete

Link;[{datatransfer_Upload_files_all_star_smashmouth}]

Upload complete

[input command];

DOWNLOAD ALL FILES WITH KEYWORDS {EXPAND}

Agencies including ((THE SOLTHE DAILY MOON_OR WEEKLYHIGH FITHE TIMES)

[run];/program_file_SSbb34fo331w/auto_manage_zenith]/:

Waiting….

Waiting...

Now playing: Interstellar (directors cut)

XXX

[AUTOMATED MEDIA UPLINK]

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 **THE DAILY MOON**

23/04/2182

UNNECESSARY DEATH OF SPECTRE SPARKS ANARCHY

 **THE DAILY MOON**

24/04/2182

RECENT SPECTRE DEATH OVERSHADOWS END OF HEROIC ERA

 **THE DAILY MOON**

25/04/2182

UN SECURITY ON HIGH ALERT FOLLOWING CULT OUTRAGE AS SFAL GAINS A HUGE SURGE IN POPULARITY

 **THE DAILY MOON**

26/04/2182

'THE SOL' INVOLVED IN RELEASE OF SPECTRE STORY ADDS FUEL TO THE FIRE

 **THE DAILY MOON**

27/04/2182

SPECIAL: EA? REAL OR FAKE?

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 **THE DAILY MOON**

28/04/2182

SPECIAL: CONCERNS OVER 'BIG BROTHER' STATE

 **THE DAILY MOON**

03/05/2182

ESTIMATED COST AT $3 BILLION FOLLOWING SFAL RALLY

 **THE DAILY MOON**

04/07/2182

NEO-UN FORCED INTO TALKS REGARDING INCREASING DEMAND FOR SPECTRE RIGHTS

 **THE DAILY MOON**

06/07/2182

UN TALKS PROVIDED UNSATISFACTORY FOR SFAL - NEW CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

 **THE DAILY MOON**

26/09/2182

FIRST LAW PASSED REGARDING INITIAL SPECTRE SINGULAR LICENSES. BEGINNING OF THE END.

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 **THE DAILY MOON**

03/10/2182

LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR SFAL IN LOCAL TERTIARY ELECTIONS

 **THE DAILY MOON**

05/10/2182

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF NEW DECREE SPARKS ANARCHY

 **THE DAILY MOON**

22/10/2182

FIRST 'FREE' SPECTRE ANNOUNCED

 **THE DAILY MOON**

26/10/2182

NEW SCHEME NAMED AFTER SPECTRE MARTYRE

 **THE DAILY MOON**

27/10/2182

'ALL STAR' BECOMES LONGEST EVER NUMBER 1

* * *

END OF PART 2

* * *

BLACKOUT is a rather convoluted two-shot written in collaboration with Just-A-Reader. Love, who I'd like to thank for being a real inspiration for my work, as well as a great editor and writer in their own right! So a massive thanks! I'm currently working with them on their own project which will be on it's way soon!

The world of BLACKOUT is set in a future in which humans have been forced to leave Earth due to climate change. Taking pokemon with them, mankind had the ingenuity to genetically manipulate themselves to be better suited to the tough environments beyond our planet. In doing so, a slave race known only as spectre were also created to do the dirty work in creating and running a society.

The key narrator of the story, a spectre who found that his successful life is merely the toying of a machine, is stuck with some tough life choices. Although it's a given that some bad screw-ups occurred during the Heroic Age (where huge geoengineering attempts at climate stabilisation was used to underhand many world governments) at least they had a sense of morality when it came to ethics. But that didn't last - not when you need to create the whole of human society afresh on the edges of space. What does it take to reveal the true human spirit?

I am well aware that things may be a little confusing, but hopefully you should be able to connect the dots. I admit, things may be a little experimental but I had great fun writing this fic. There's a lot of references to various things, but I've kept things a lot more tame than usual!

This will be the last chapter in the two-shot, but I'm currently planning something which will be a mix of BLACKOUT and Unsystematic - which will involve more sci-fi mixed with retro-tech. Hopefully that should be out sometime next year.

Feel free to fav or of drop a review of what you thought!

ZenColour

* * *

...EJECTING FLOPPY DISK…

zzZZZzz


End file.
